"I'm A Ghost Now..."

"A spectre of the moon... The moon's knight of vengeance, and I got work to do."

This 28mm scale plastic model of Moon Knight is produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 062 from their Marvel "Heroclix" Avengers/Defenders War Booster Set. Ranked by "Wizard" magazine as the 149th greatest comic book character of all time, Marc Spector's alter-ego was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin for the August 1975 issue of "Werewolf By Night" by "Marvel Comics".

Resurrected by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu following his murder at the hands of the mercenary Bushman, this sculpt actually depicts the costumed crime-fighter whilst using his Mister Knight persona, and initially had me reaching for a sharp modelling knife in order to remove him from the stone gargoyle he was perched upon. In the end though, I decided to leave the model attached to the rooftop cornerstone, as otherwise I thought the figure might look a little small lurching low across a bare 40mm circular base.

"Adeptus Titanicus" WIPs - The small crane tower has been dry-brushed and weathered

The entire ensemble was actually partially primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" White. I also originally started layering the gargoyle-shaped base with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, but then swapped this acrylic colour out for the much deeper Dark Grey so the masked vigilante's bright suit appeared all the more contrasting. The stone work was later drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being thoroughly dry-brushed in (more) "Vallejo" Dark Grey.

I had hoped to get away with a similarly straightforward approach to Moon Knight himself. However, the miniature's squat stance meant I had to be particularly precise with my brushwork if I didn't catch his already finished basework. As a result I carefully applied two more coats of "Vallejo" White over Marc Spector and then strategically dropped in some Pale Grey around all the folds in his clothing, footwear and gloves.

"Adeptus Titanicus" WIPs - The crane tower has been dry-brushed and had its walkways and ladders 'picked out'

This approach seemed to work far better than my usual technique of simply drenching the figure in "Vallejo" Pale Grey and subsequently fuming that the wash had bubbled up in some of the detail's deeper recesses. Disappointingly, the softness in the super-hero's sculpt didn't lend itself to being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" White. So in the end I actually had to 'pick out' a lot of the millionaire's costume, such as his collar, shoes, tie and buttons with a delicate application of pure "Vallejo" White, as well as the odd bit of edge highlighting.

As I'm determined to get my "Games Workshop" Manufactorum Imperialis scenery set completed before the end of next month, I have additionally managed to make some more progress on my two crane towers. The vast majority of paintwork on these two formidably-sized pieces of machinery is almost complete; albeit I have perhaps somewhat foolishly decided to 'pick out' one of the constructions' metal walkways and ladders with metallic paint, rather than simply leave the entire ensemble in the same colour.

"The Hyper Nifty Gifty Fifty Give Away."

"Caution! This is not a toy."

This 28mm scale model of a wizard sat atop a dice whilst smoking a pipe is produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and is actually sent out as a free gift with any orders over fifty pounds. The figure is arguably not quite as cartoonish in style as the manufacturer’s other “Toon Realms” sculpts, but this is now the third such identical miniature I've painted so as to populate my tabletop with some fantasy-flavoured statue/objective markers.

In addition, I wanted the opportunity to refresh my memory as to how I usually paint bare rusty metal before I start applying the technique to several pieces of 8mm terrain from the "Games Workshop" Imperialis scenery set for "Adeptus Titanicus". With this in mind I therefore super-glued the marvellous-looking magic-user upon a 28mm “Games Workshop” circular base, and then permanently attached the ensemble to one of the 40mm thin-lipped circular bases I use for all my objective markers.

"Lucid Eye Publications" WIPs - The wizard has been dry-brushed, shaded and dry-brushed again

The model was primed using an initial coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being heavily dry-brushed in "Citadel" Ironbreaker. The "Abody" make-up brush I used for this stage actually did too good a job of covering over many of the figure's inner details, so I ended up dabbing some extra "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna into some of the sculpt's nooks and crannies; especially the dice dots.

The entire miniature was then drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being given a second, significantly lighter, dry-brush of Ironbreaker. In order to provide both the wizard and his dice with some weathering I sporadically applied a combination "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade" over them, and finally attempted to tie the entire paint-job together with a third (even lighter) dry-brush of "Citadel" Ironbreaker.

"Heroclix" WIPs - The all-white Moon Knight (a.k.a. Mister Knight) has been primed and shaded

With the metal statue itself finished I undercoated its 'stone' plinth using two coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, and later washed it with a mixture of “Citadel” Nuln Oil, Biel-Tan Green and Agrax Earthshade. This area was subsequently dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey in the hope I could catch enough of the plastic circular base's raised surface detail with my brush-tip....

Having completed my third "Nifty Gifty" objective marker, I have spent a little time working with "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey on one of my super-hero figures by "Wizkids". This "Heroclix" model of Moon Knight (or rather his split persona Mister Knight) has been knocking around my painting table for quite a while, so I thought he'd make a nice contrasting subject to work on following my dabble with metallics and rust washes.

"Knowledge Is A Treasure That Must Be Guarded..."

"...With bitter jealousy in this age."

These three 8mm scale plastic shipment containers are produced by "Games Workshop", and can be found inside the Nottingham-based company's Manufactorum Imperialis scenery set for "Adeptus Titanicus". Assembled from parts taken from the four "frames of detailed components" found within the box, each piece of storage was actually built using four separate components so as to allow the odd door to even be open if wanted/needed.

It would appear that all of the Manufactorum Imperialis models are intended to be free-standing. But as I've always liked to base my terrain, especially when some of it is so small, I decided to compile a seemingly suitable collection of containers upon a "Citadel" 50mm circular base, and permanently attached them in place with a few dollops of plastic glue. Hopefully, this would also mean for these particular miniatures that I could use them as elaborate ammunition crates or some such for my 28mm sci-fi gaming tabletop...

"Adeptus Titanicus" WIPs - The shipping containers were primed, shaded and dry-brushed

All of the models were primed using two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and then absolutely drowned in a torrent of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. They were then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, as well as given a haphazard highlight of "Citadel" Ironbreaker in places so as to give the impression of their paint being rubbed away through heavy use. As a final touch I strategically dabbed them with some "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash in the hope that it would suggest weathering and poor care.

I actually own a rather embarrassing amount of untouched "Games Workshop" terrain for "Warhammer 40K", "Necromunda" and "Kill Team", so very much viewed this 'test piece' as an opportunity to trial a straightforward colour scheme for some of that scenery too. I have a few palettes I want to apply to the various 234 plastic components found inside the Manufactorum Imperialis box, but as a starter I'm rather pleased with how the combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, "Citadel" Ironbreaker and "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash turned out.

"Adeptus Titanicus" WIPs - The crane tower has been primed and washed

In addition to these three shipment containers I actually built a fourth model to use as cargo for the largest of two cranes which comes with the set. The body of this beast, which comprises of twenty separate pieces, including two tiny ladders and four fiddly-fitting walkways, has already been attached to a 60mm circular base and is 40mm tall without the actual crane being fitted.

Fortunately, I was wise enough to assemble the box's second, slightly smaller, crane base simultaneously, and hope to get the pair of these formidably-sized constructions painted over the next few days. There's also an incredible amount of piping to assemble for another scenic piece I have in mind, which consists of an eye-watering twenty-one sections - and that's not including the minuscule fuel barrels and detritus I hope to add to the micro vignette...

“I Have Super-Strength And Bullet-Proof Armour."

"You're a goon with a handgun. Do the math."

This 28mm scale resin model of the Blue Scarab is produced by "Kitbash Games", and was bought as part of my pledge from their highly successful "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" in August 2019. Designed as a "serum-enhanced super-hero"" for both the "Pulp City" and "Super Mission Force" rule-sets, I actually plan to use the single-piece casting as an American costumed crime-fighter known as Liberty Lady for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules.

Having glued Danielle ‘Dani’ Garret onto a 28mm lipped base, I initially primed the former Empire City Police Officer with two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue before covering her in "Citadel" Asurmen Blue. I then delicately dry-brushed the figure with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, before putting down a preparatory layer of Heavy Sienna onto her boots, gloves, mask and belt.

"Fetch me the hydra's teeth. Quickly!"

This meant that these areas could then be easily hit with some "Vallejo" Gold without my needing to apply endless coats of the rather translucent acrylic metallic paint upon them. Later these areas were shaded using "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and delicately dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gold. Any areas I inadvertently caught with my tip were 'touched up' with some additional "Vallejo" Heavy Blue" and "Citadel" Asurmen Blue.

For the Blue Scarab's face and hair I went slightly off-piste by making Garret a brunette instead of a blonde, as I thought it would help her golden mask stand out that bit more. I 'picked out' the super-hero's fave with some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and splashed it with a spot of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Her hair was painted using some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter".

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Skeleton Warriors have been primed and washed

Alongside finishing another of my "Supers Unlimited" finished, I have also managed to complete the third of my Skeleton Warriors by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". As with my previous two Undead swordsmen their bleached bones were primed using a double-helping of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand before being shaded with plenty of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand and, a somewhat lighter, dusting of White.

Their hand-weapons and bosses were treated to a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Whilst their wooden shields were pigmented in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and then washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. As I wanted to make the skeletons look extra weathered,I applied a little "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash over their metallic areas.

"Give Me The Children Of The Hydra's Teeth."

"The children of the night!"

These two 28mm scale Skeleton Warriors are manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and are part of the company’s ever-expanding Fantasy product line. Both these particular metal miniatures are single-piece castings, and can be bought separately or as part of a four-figure deal.

Having super-glued the Undead walking cadavers onto their plastic bases, they were primed using a double-helping of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand before being shaded with plenty of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". Each model was then enthusiastically dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand and, a somewhat lighter, dusting of White.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Skeleton Warriors have been washed and dry-brushed

The skeletons' swords and other metallic areas were treated to a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Whilst their wooden shields were layered in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna before being washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I also went back and 'picked out' the warriors' eye sockets and grinning mouths with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black, simply to ensure these ghoulish areas stood out a bit more on the tabletop from a distance.

Ordinarily, I would usually leave such figures at that that. But I wanted to make these particular grisly fiends look a little more weathered, so decided to apply a little "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash over the skeletons' hand-weapons and shields. I then tidied up a few of the sculpts' edges with a delicate dry-brush of "Citadel" Ironbreaker.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - The Blue Scarab, Blackthorn and the Shark

Alongside these Fantasy horrors I have been steadily progressing a few more "Supers Unlimited" by "Kitbash Games" for some upcoming Weird War Two battles. I've still got a bit of work to finish on the superb Blue Scarab's face and hair, but, after a bit of tidy up following some of my "Vallejo" Gold dry-brushing going everywhere, I'm now pretty confident the female costumed crime-fighter will shortly be finished.

Far further behind schedule are the Shark and Blackthorn, one of which is still showing some of the effects of being squarely in the firing line when a pot of "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue suddenly exploded on me and splattered the majority of my painting line with metallic pigment. I'm also rather nervous about applying a brush to Blackthorn and patiently picking out all the twisting vines the excellent sculpt's tree-like torso has been encircled with...

"I Think You Ought To Know I'm Feeling Very Depressed."

"Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway so I don't know why I bother to say it..."

This 28mm scale metal figure of a Companion Droid is produced by “Tangent Miniatures” and is model number EY-0R3 from their Cosmic Travellers range. Clearly inspired by Marvin the Paranoid Android from the 1981 BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", the automaton is a single-cast piece and can also be bought as part of a five-figure bundle deal.

With the automaton super-glued onto a 25mm plastic round base, it was primed using some "Citadel" Abaddon Black and subsequently treated to a double coat of "Vallejo" Silver. I then washed the entire figure in "Citadel" Nuln Oil before dry-brushing it with (more) "Vallejo" Silver. Finally, I dabbed in the robot's eyes using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Skeleton Warrior has been washed and dry-brushed

I had actually planned to 'pick out' a number of the android's joints and buttons with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, but soon realised that the detail on the excellent-looking sculpt wasn't quite sharp enough for my skill with a paint-brush. Indeed, after a few failed attempts I even decided to avoid trying to get a tiny line of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand onto one of Marvin's chest panels, and simply re-painted over my repeated splodges with some additional Silver and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Having finished the first of my Hitchhikers I have settled down to assembling, basing, priming and washing several more Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Spears by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". I was originally thinking of simply painting the odd figure or two in between some of my other projects, but with the imminent arrival of "Frostgrave: Second Edition" in August, I've suddenly found myself falling into a bit of a Fantasy mood.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Skeleton Champion, Leader and Spearman

Indeed, I've actually dug out all my old "Frostgrave" rule-books by "Osprey Publishing", swooped upon a few outstanding tomes on the second-hand market, and even started thinking about assembling a third warband using some "North Star Military Figures" models. However, having perused the twelve skeleton models by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" I suddenly thought they'd make an excellent-looking band of Undead treasure hunters instead.

As a result I plan to utilise the hooded leader from the company's Skeleton Warriors 1 blister as my wizard, the wolf-pelt covered cadaver from Skeleton Spears as the group's apprentice, and the heavily-armoured brute from Skeleton Warriors 2 as either a knight or templar. The rest of the warband can hopefully be made up from the rest of the skellies; albeit I'm tempted to convert a couple into carrying a bow/crossbow...

"If There Be Wraith Evil Here..."

"...It will be... destroyed utterly by the blacklight eyebeams of Terminator!"

This 28mm scale plastic model of Terminator is produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 031a from their Avengers Infinity Marvel “Heroclix” range. Born in the Galadorian space colony, Thayri, Balin's home planet was ravaged by a plague caused by the Dire Wraiths and was created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema for the January 1981 issue of "Rom" by "Marvel Comics".

"The only one of the cyborgs who did not have a human body to await his return" the figure was prised off of his 'clicky' base and super-glued on to a 25mm circular base. I then applied two coats of Colbalt Alchemy from the Metal n' Alchemy Steel Series boxed set by "Scalecolor"over the model, including the Galadorian's blacklight eyebeam effect.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - The Blue Scarab and Battle Engine

Ordinarily I don't like figures with smoke, lasers or other weapon effects sculpted upon them, and usually cut, snip or file them off before painting. However, I actually had already done this to the first "Heroclix" model of Terminator I bought, and frankly struggled to salvage the unmitigated mess of a face such a removal caused. As a result I left well enough alone with this second miniature, and simply steeled myself to pigment the energy blast as best I could.

The first generation spaceknight was washed using plenty of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade", and later dry-brushed with (more) "Scalecolor" Colbalt Alchemy. Finally, I carefully re-painted Terminator's blacklight eyebeams using a combination of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. The effect was then carefully dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" White to bring out some of the sculpt's details.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Skeleton Warrior has been washed and dry-brushed 

Sticking with superheroes, I have made some progress on a couple more "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures by "Kitbash Games". Blue Scarab is taking a little longer to finish than I anticipated on account of all her boots and gloves needing to be treated to a fair few layers of "Vallejo" Gold, despite the areas being undercoated Heavy Brown beforehand. I have however, also managed to assemble my newly-acquired Battle Engine, and get the heavily-weaponed automaton primed and shaded.

I've also got to grips with a second of the Skeletons I recently acquired from the "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Fantasy range. The Undead warrior has been washed in some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", and had it's bones high-lighted using a combination of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand and White...

"Star Wars" 1/270th Space Battle Report: Poe Dameron & Rey Verses Kylo Ren - Part Two

KYLO REN LAUNCHES A MASS ATTACK AGAINST THE RESISTANCE

This game was played using some homemade rules (M.I.S.S.) in order to allow us to play a quick space-fight utilising many of my long unused "Star Wars: X-Wing" miniatures by "Fantasy Flight Games", and took place upon a 3' x 3' "Hotz Mats" Deep Space Game mat. The battlefield was populated with a variety of asteroids which I bought from a seller on "Ebay" many, many moons ago.

“The story so far… Kylo Ren has decided to launch a full scale attack against the Resistance fleet. However, Han Solo's son has underestimated the number of X-Wing's Nien Nunb's Blue Squadron can muster, and that the Millennium Falcon isn't just a hunk of junk..."

THE TABLETOP - A REGION OF SPACE POPULATED BY TWO ASTEROID CLUSTERS

"Star Wars" 1/270th Space Battle Report: Poe Dameron & Rey Verses Kylo Ren - Part One

Having both failed to get their X-Wings' shields back up Nien Nunb and Jess Pava headed northeast around Beta Cluster. Whilst, sensing the danger Epsilon Leader and Quickdraw could cause if left unmolested near the Alpha Cluster, Poe Dameron sped northeast to try and swoop around and intercept them. Behind him, Rey tried to close in on Omega Ace and Zeta Ace. But the Millennium Falcon ended up crashing into Snap Wexley's X-Wing almost head on, bringing both vessels to almost a dead halt in space and damaging the pair of them.

West of Beta Cluster, Kylo Ren manoeuvred his TIE Silencer into an attack position. Quickdraw had finally gotten his TIE/sf Fighter behind the stricken Falcon and used the YT-1300 Corellian light freighter's vulnerable predicament to strip away one of its shields. Meanwhile, Zeta Ace swung east, just north of Beta Cluster, and fired upon Nien Nunb at close range. The X-Wing's armour protected the Incom-FreiTek manufactured starship from one blast, but the T-70 was still partially damaged.

REY AND THE MILLENNIUM FALCON CRASH INTO SNAP WEXLEY'S X-WING

Realising that Han Solo's old ship was a sitting duck, Quickdraw continued to pour his SJFS Lb-14 dual heavy laser turret's fire directly at the Millennium Falcon. The vessel's remaining shield quickly fell, and the freighter was rocked by two further hits. In order to support Quickdraw's attack, Zeta Ace turned sharp north, so the TIE/fo Fighter was almost nose-to-nose with Rey's ship. The First Order Pilot scored two successful hits, causing the Corellian craft even more damage. Omega Ace also joined in the assault, causing yet more destruction to the Falcon's hull and placing the ship in real danger of being destroyed.

With the First Order suddenly in the ascendancy, Chewbacca managed to get the Millennium Falcon's shields partially back up, and then growled in frustration as Rey disentangled the light freighter from Wexley's starfighter only to then plough it straight into one of the asteroids of Beta Cluster. Fortunately, Jess Pava slotted her X-Wing right up behind Omega Ace, and with a blast of her heavy laser cannons, she blew the First Order TIE/fo Fighter out of the sky. With a grin on his face, Dameron continued to circle Alpha Cluster.

THE MILLENNIUM FALCON FLIES OUT OF CONTROL INTO THE BETA CLUSTER

Eager to bear down upon Poe for a decisive attack, Kylo Ren powered northeast towards his target, but misjudged his TIE Silencer's closeness to Quickdraw's TIE/sf Fighter and smashed into the First Order starfighter. However, Zeta Ace had better luck with his attack upon Wexley's X-Wing, and tore down the Resistance vessel's shields.

Happily for Wexley, Nunb and Rey, all three of their spacecraft managed to get their shields back up. Snap blasted his X-Wing east so as to get out of the battlefield's dangerous central kill zone as fast as possible. Whilst Poe, Nien Nunb and Pava all turned west to face Kylo Ren, Quickdraw and Zeta Ace for a potentially final face-off. Dameron's starfighter managed to take down Quickdraw's shields, and it wasn't long before Zeta Ace's shields were gone too, courtesy of Nunb and Jess Pava.

KYLO REN CRASHES AS POE DAMERON POSITIONS HIMSELF FOR A DEADLY ATTACK

Seizing the initiative, the three Resistance pilots pressed on with their attack, using their increasing proximity to their targets to great effect. Pava managed to badly damage Zeta Ace's TIE/fo Fighter, before Nien Nunb almost took down Quickdraw's starfighter. The female human pilot in the First Order Navy jinked her TIE/sf fighter all over the place, trying to evade Dameron's heavy laser cannons. But in the end the vessel was destroyed.

KYLO REN FLEES THE BATTLE AS THE RESISTANCE WIN THE DAY

Believing that defeat was inevitable, Kylo Ren headed west for safety, with Epsilon Leader just behind. The TIE/fo Fighter managed to deprive Poe of his shield whilst protecting his commanding officer's spacecraft. But Zeta Ace's attempt to lock onto Jess Pava's X-Wing resulted in the two vessels crashing into one another. Still, the battle was over and the Resistance had won the day despite the Sith's new TIE Silencer. 

"Time To Rock!"

"The man now known as Granite..."

This 35mm tall resin model of Granite is produced by "Kitbash Games", and was bought as part of my pledge from their highly successful "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" in August 2019. Incredibly strong and transformed into a "durable rock-like form" through a series of "shadowy" experiments, I actually plan to use the casting as a Soviet super-hero known as Stalingrad for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules.

Having super-glued the figure onto a 28mm lipped base, I first undercoated Solomon ‘Sol’ Smith's alter-ego with a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey before shading it in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I had originally decided to leave the monster's rock-like flesh at that, as I have done with all the pebble-dashed Boromite miners by "Warlord Games" in the past.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - The Blue Scarab has been shaded and dry-brushed

However, as it was just a single casting as opposed to a Scouting Force for "Beyond The Gares Of Antares", I changed my mind and dry-brushed the model with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey instead. At this stage I somewhat diverted from the 'official' palette in order to help make the miniature appear more 'Russian', and resultantly applied a couple of layers of pure "Vallejo" Heavy Red to the pharmacological trial subject's one-piece leotard.

This costume was later drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and given a 1/285 Soviet Star (consisting of a red emblem with a white outline) transfer by "Decal Details". Finally, the brute's eyes and maw were 'picked out' using a little "Vallejo" White, with a spot of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade being applied to Granite's partially-open mouth.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Skeleton Warrior has been washed and dry-brushed 

With the second of my "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" rewards completed, I have been progressing "one of Empire City’s newest crime-fighters", the Blue Scarab. Like all of the other "Supers Unlimited" I intend to re-purpose the model for my own Weird War Two setting, but as the heroine is going form part of my Allies' army, in the guise of Liberty Lady, I intend to predominantly stick to the figure's 'official' blue scale-mail colour scheme.

Lastly, I've made some significant in-roads on one of the Skeletons I recently purchased from the "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Fantasy range. The warrior has now been washed in some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", and had it's bones high-lighted via a few dry-brushes as per my usual long-dead cadaver recipe...

"Transformed By A Terrible Lab Accident..."

"...The monstrous Tox tries to hide from view."

This 28mm scale resin model of Tox is produced by "Kitbash Games", and was bought as part of my pledge from their highly successful "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" in August 2019. Designed as a "tank" to offer "great durability and powerful melee attacks" in both the "Pulp City" and "Super Mission Force" rule-sets, I actually plan to use the three-piece casting as a German super-villain known as Die Unordnung [The Mess] for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules.

Having assembled the brute, I initially primed the monster with two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki before drenching it in "Citadel" Biel Tan Green. I then splodged some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter" onto the figure's face, arms, hands, feet, armpits and thighs, so as to make Tox look even more blobby, before dry-brushing the entire model with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Granite has slowly had all his pebble-skin shaded and dry-brushed

The grotesque creature's metallic chest stabiliser was ''picked out' using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Whilst his teeth were simply pigmented using a little "Vallejo" White, and later washed using some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, the anti-hero's eyes were spotted with a dab of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand.

With the first of my "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" rewards completed, I have been progressing the second - the superbly-detailed sculpt of Solomon ‘Sol’ Smith, a.k.a Granite. I was actually a little nervous about placing a brush-tip upon this model to begin with, as it reminded me of the mental slog I had to go through to finally finish a mere Scouting Force of Boromites for "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" by "Warlord Games".

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The three skeletons have been based and primed

Fortunately however, Granite is currently proving a joy to paint, and has encouraged me to even go so far as to delicately dry-brush all his rubble-skin with some additional "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. I've also managed to overcome my horror at splashing the entire model with an exploding pot of old paint, by painfully re-painting the damaged areas, and subsequently managed to lay down his leotard's base colour of  "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

Lastly, I've assembled a few of metal figures found in the new "Crooked Dice Games Design Studio" Fantasy range. These Skeleton Warriors were admittedly something of an impulse purchase, but simply looked too good to resist, especially with news of a "7TV" Fantasy rule-set being touted for next year...

"Eye-Eye! What A Gorgeous Face!"

"Then let's remove his head!"

This 28mm scale resin model of a Ballmonster is produced by "Precinct Omega", and was bought as a pair of show specials whilst I visited "Beachhead" 2020. Designed to be played with the company's "wild and hilarious game of luck and judgement in which players pit teams of giant, carnivorous, helium-filled bad-tempered beachballs against one another", the miniature also came supplied with a clear plastic flying stand.

However, having decided that I'd rather "my antidote to fantasy sports games" bounce across the ground towards his opponents like a Seventies Space Hopper than simply fly through the air, I super-glued the 'head' onto a 25mm circular base, and primed him "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. I then drenched the bizarre-looking figure in Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", before dry-brushing him with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

"Supers Unlimited" WIPs - Tox and Granite are being shaded and dry-brushed

With the most straightforward phase completed, I slowly worked my way through all the gas-filled sphere's teeth using "Vallejo" White and all of the Ballmonster's numerous spikes with some Iraqi Sand. All of these areas were later washed in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I dotted his eyes with a splodge or two of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion and shade them with a splash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, as well as used a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil on his nose spikes.

Moving my attention over to my recently acquired collection of "Supers Unlimited" by "Kitbash Games" I have made some enjoyable inroads working on the company's resin sculpts of Tox and Granite. These powerhouses are tremendously well detailed, so seemingly respond really well to a few washes and a little patient dry-brushing.

"Heroclix" WIPS - Terminator and Starshine

In addition, I have made some progress on the last two of my Spaceknight pre-painted miniatures from "Wizkids". I don't really like either Starshine or Terminator "Heroclix" models on account of them both having 'effects' sculpted onto the figures. Indeed, I've actually cut away Balin's black light eye-beams on a previous purchase, only to find its removal left a huge crater in the Galadorian's helmet which I simply couldn't salvage - hence my having to buy a second (rather expensive) copy.

My experiment on Terminator using Amethyst Alchemy from the Metal n' Alchemy Steel Series boxed set by "Scalecolor" hasn't worked out to my liking either, appearing far too pink for a Spaceknight who is actually dark blue in colour in the comic books. Still, as trials go, I am rather pleased with the paint's coverage, and how it appears once drenched in "Citadel" Druchii Violet...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Supers Unlimited" July 2020

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Blackthorn, Blue Scarab and The Shark

This month's endeavour to whittle away at my mountain of metal, plastic and resin models will primarily focus upon a selection of miniatures taken from the Supers Unlimited range by "Kitbash Games". "Designed to be size-compatible with many supers miniatures ranges" I managed to acquire a fair few of the resin figures from the company's recently successful "Kickstarter" campaign, and whilst I don't plan on using them for either "Pulp City" and or the "Super Mission Force" gaming system, I do hope to get them on my Weird War Two tabletop soon.

Indeed, I've already previously 'repurposed' two of the models into the Cologne Clown (Punchline) and Vancouver Canuck (Roughneck) so I can incorporate them them into my quite considerably-sized Axis and Allies forces by "Westwind Productions". With that in mind I've therefore selected eight of my recently received pledge reward from Leon Mallet and divvied them up amongst the armies of Great Britain, the United States, German and the Soviet Union, penning some brief backgrounds to my heroes/villains on the way...

"Supers Unlimited" WIPs - Mayhem, Granite and Alpha Male

For the American forces I've gone with the classically named Liberty Lady (Blue Scarab) and Everglade (Blackthorn). I think the sculpting on the female crime-fighter is great, and unlike many of the other miniatures I plan to apply a similar palette to her as seen on her 'official' predominantly blue paint-job. Everglade on the other hand is clearly going to test my eyesight with the myriad of fantastic branches/vines which seemingly criss-cross over the ex-soldier's entire mutated torso.

Providing the British with a decidedly nautical air is the wonderfully posed Operative Porpoise (The Shark). As with Leon's sculpt for the Blue Scarab, I've wanted to get my hands on the model ever since I first laid eyes on it, and felt my naming the hero after a class of submarine used by the Royal Navy during the Second World War was pretty appropriate. Completing the Allied quartet is Stalingrad (Granite), a Russian powerhouse created from debris taken from the destroyed city on the western bank of the Volga River.

"Kitbash" WIPs - Tox, Big Brain and Doc Cosmos

Having painted a fair few Boromites in the past, from "Warlord Games" science fiction rule-set "Beyond The Gates Of Antares", I'm a little nervous about 'picking out' all the Soviet soldier's pebbles, but delightfully the figure's all-encompassing leotard should be fair simpler to pigment than the extra-terrestrial miners' technologically advanced battle armour. As for the Germans, I'm hoping to quickly rattle through the predominantly flesh-bearing Áchtung (Alpha Male) and the Berlin Brawler (Mayhem) , as well as the three-piece casting of the larger-sized Die Unordnung (Tox).

This'll then just leave me with the diminutive Doktor Propaganda (Big Brain), which will probably prove a bit fiddly to 'pick out' on account of the sculpt's dynamically crouched position and white laboratory coat. Finally, I've dug out my partially-painted miniature of Kid Kansas (Doc Cosmos) and am currently contemplating some changes to its colour scheme, perhaps following something along the lines of the Missouri city's American Football Team uniform...